Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Suzhou embroidery - Head of tiger

Hand to Hand: Two Grand Masters of Suzhou Embroidery At the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, through June 11, 2005

Do you believe this tiger is an embroidery! The beauty of the tiger took my breath away when i saw it.This is very impressive and amazing! The detail is unbelievable!!

This exhibit contains thirty-two works from the studios of two grand masters of the art of Suzhou embroidery, which uses a hand-to-hand technique, in which an embroiderer places a hand on one side of the frame and another on the other side, working a needle back and forth and applying stitches in layers to create highly reflective fields of color and provide lifelike qualities to the subjects, whether landscapes, flowers or animals.

Suzhou embroidery has a long history exceeding 2000 years。During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Huizong had encouraged embroiderers to work with artists and calligraphers to copy their art onto silk fabric.Suzhou embroidery, also called Su embroidery, is one of the four traditional Chinese embroidery styles.The great skill is passed down by word of mouth and from hand to hand.Suzhou artistsare are able to use more than 40 needlework and a 1,000 different types of threads to make flowers,birds,animals and even gardens on a piece of cloth. The Suzhou embroidery is refined and exquisite,best-known work being an embroidered cat with bright eyes and fluffy hair looking vivid and lifelike,just like the tiger above.